


Cruel and Saccharine Torture

by emilime



Category: Cookie Run (Video Game), Cookie Run: OvenBreak
Genre: Alchemist also has autism but it's not as big of a thing in this fic, Blackberry is ride or die, Blackberry is the friend that we all deserve tbh, Cookie Run is Gay Culture, I don't know what cookies eat okay???, I'm not too sure how to fully separate the two since I get both lol, Love Virus, M/M, Mint Choco and Sparkling are both trans, Mint Choco has anxiety, Mint Choco has autism, Multi, Mutual Pining, POV Third Person Limited, Panic Attacks, Pining, Soufflés, Sparkling has autism, bumped up to mature for chapter six, deus ex Alchemist Cookie, everyone is autistic and trans unless stated otherwise basically, implied cookie sex, mischaracterization of blackberry (she wasn't in ob yet when i wrote this), pov is focused on mint choco, so the symptoms are a little mixed together, they're sorta halfway between panic attacks and autism meltdowns, warning: the fuck word is said
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-03 19:27:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14575980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilime/pseuds/emilime
Summary: Mint Choco Cookie had thought he did a pretty good job of keeping his crush on Sparkling Cookie under wraps, but that all changes when a certain bartender gets hit with the Love Virus.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1) what the HECK is a beta reader. proofreading?? never met her.  
> 2) thanks to my boyfriend for encouraging me (in the form of text messages that mostly comprised of "HOW DARE YOU")  
> 3) most of this was written at two in the morning. I apologize in advance for awkward/choppy sentences.

"Not that I quite mind, but would you care to explain why Sparkling has been hanging off of me for the past hour?"  
  
Pink Choco looked up from her very important work-- which was  _not_ just doodling hearts around various cookies' names, no sir-- to find that her brother Mint Choco was, in fact, weighed down by a very content looking Sparkling Cookie. She resumed her doodling and did her best to look innocent. "I dunno, maybe he's cold?" Mint Choco raised one meticulously groomed eyebrow at her, yet said nothing. He just continued to gaze at her suspiciously, but still maintained the cool manner he always kept about him. Pink Choco couldn't stand it. "Okay, okay. I was doing target practice with my Heart Beam, when this guy--" she gestured at Sparkling, who was now idly playing with Mint Choco's hair, "--burst in asking if anyone wanted to play Monopoly. I got startled and accidentally shot him."  
  
"What can I say, I like Monopoly," Sparkling contributed, never shifting his focus from Mint Choco. "I also like your hair. It's so... minty. It's nice."

"Thank you, Sparkling. I like your hair too. It's very bubbly." Mint Choco gently ruffled said hair as though to prove his point. Sparkling leaned into the touch, looking dejected when Mint Choco pulled his hand away. "Anyway, you said you shot him?"  
  
Pink Choco rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, he's got the Love Virus in his system now. It's weird, though. They don't usually stay woozy this long after first exposure." She huffed out a short laugh. "It's funny that the bartender would be a lightweight." Sparkling shifted, his face now buried in the crook between Mint Choco's neck and shoulder.  
  
"Light has no weight. At least, I think it doesn't. I'm not a sciencer."  
  
"Anyway," Pink Choco continued, "just keep an eye on him and let me know if anything strange happens." She set down her pen with a clack. "Well, stranger than this, I mean. Peace out." With that, she was out of both her chair and the room before Mint Choco could say or do anything in response.  
  
"See ya," Sparkling mumbled into Mint Choco's neck. Being positioned like that was really starting to wear through the layer of composure that he had adopted when he first saw Sparkling staggering down the hall with half-lidded eyes and a dopey grin on his face. He had assumed that he'd been drinking, but the bartender didn't smell like alcohol, not even faintly. That fact somehow made the situation even worse. If he were drunk, he probably wouldn't remember half of the stuff he did, but Mint Choco didn't know if the Love Virus had the same effect. He couldn't stand the thought of Sparkling recovering only to be repulsed by him; he had to keep him from doing something he'd regret once he recovered.  
  
Cheesecake and Cherry Blossom were sitting in the game room chatting, as expected. Mint Choco breathed a sigh of relief as he peeked around the door frame. He really didn't want to track anyone down with Sparkling plastered all over him. Neither he nor Sparkling needed those kinds of rumors spreading, especially not now. He took a deep breath to compose himself, and stepped into the room.  
  
"Hey Minty, how's it- oh wow," Cheesecake trailed off as she noticed Sparkling. "Good for you, bud. I had honestly figured he'd end up with Red Bean, didn't think you'd throw your hat in the ring." She gave him a smirk and a thumbs up. Sparkling mumbled something into the skin of Mint Choco's neck, making him shudder. He tried to think of something else, anything other than the fact that Sparkling had his lips on him and they were surprisingly soft.

"Dude, I thought you were Team Herb! They're both overrated little twinks! It works so well!" Cherry Blossom punctuated her statement with over the top hand gestures, a quirk that was a stark contrast to her gentle, dainty appearance. Mint Choco rolled his eyes.

"'m not overrated," Sparkling managed to get out, seemingly more lethargic by the minute. He was now resting at least two-thirds of his weight on Mint Choco.

"As your friend, it is my duty to inform you that you are, in fact, overrated. I'm sorry.” Cheesecake set her face in a serious expression, but it didn't last. Not ten seconds passed before both she and Cherry Blossom burst out in raucous laughter, Sparkling soon joining in with his own sedate chuckle. The quiet sound was enough to make warmth bloom in Mint Choco's stomach. The same warmth must have shown on his cheeks because Cherry Blossom gave him a knowing smile. She picked up a tea cup from the side table and brought it to her mouth.

"So I would assume it's the Love Virus that's caused this?" she said between sips. "Cheesecake was like that too, when she got hit." Shock briefly flashed across Cheesecake’s face, and she turned to her girlfriend, betrayed. Sparkling, once again oblivious to the conversation, snuggled more against Mint Choco.

"Babe! I told you not to tell that story!" She buried her face in her hands, now as red as Mint Choco was sure he was at that moment. He really needed to take Sparkling to bed. No! Not take him to bed, get him to go to sleep! By himself! This was going to be a difficult few days. Cheesecake and Cherry Blossom continued on, either not noticing, or ignoring Mint Choco's gay panic. Whichever it was, he was grateful. "It's so embarrassing!” Cheesecake whined, the sound still muffled by her hands. Cherry Blossom put her arm around her and patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"It was cute, babe! Like you!” She kissed Cheesecake on what was left exposed of her cheek, and she let out some combination of an exasperated groan and a laugh, moving her hands from her face to wrap her arms around her girlfriend.

"That's gay!” she laughed.

"You're gay!”

“And aren't you glad I am?"

Both girls decided they had had enough of the conversation, apparently, as they stopped talking and started kissing each other silly. It was sweet, but it was getting Mint Choco nowhere. He said a brief farewell, though he doubted they heard him, and started to walk to Sparkling’s room. However, he quickly realized that Sparkling was too heavy to drag all the way across the building, and decided that his much closer room was a safer bet. So much for having him sleep alone in his own room.

“Where are we going?” Sparkling, still conscious, lifted his face from Mint Choco’s neck to look him in the eye as he asked. Or maybe just so he could squish his cheeks, as he did both. “Your face is very soft. And you have pretty eyes.” Mint Choco began walking a little faster. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.

Then Sparkling kissed his neck and he nearly fell on his damn face.

It was very similar to yet very different from when his mouth had been against Mint Choco’s neck before. There was an intent to it this time, and a slight sloppiness that Mint Choco found incredibly hot for some reason. Anything Sparkling did could be considered hot, though, if you asked him. Nope. No way. Shutting that train of thought right down. The last thing he needed was his stupid crush/infatuation/whatever it should be called ruining a perfectly good friendship. He and Sparkling were just friends-- rather unfortunately, he caught himself thinking, but quickly silenced that thought-- and that’s what they would go back to being after the Love Virus wore off. He just needed to focus on-

Sparkling’s mouth was slightly open now. On his neck.

So much for focus. All thoughts of getting back to his room were driven out of his head as Sparkling, the bastard, dragged his tongue across the nape of his neck, slicking the sensitive skin with his spit. Mint Choco opened his mouth to say something, but Sparkling chose that moment to begin sucking on his neck, hard. He nearly got lost in the moment before remembering the current situation. He couldn’t let Sparkling do this. As much as he had imagined and hoped for something like this in the past, Sparkling was under the influence of the virus, and the feelings he was acting upon weren’t his own. This fact alone was heartbreaking enough to break through the affection-induced haze in Mint Choco’s mind. “Sparkling.”

“Yeah?” Sparkling stopped scandalizing Mint Choco’s neck just long enough to speak before going right back to it.

“We can’t do this. You don’t want this.” At this rate there was definitely going to be a hickey soon.

“Yes I do,” Sparkling insisted, though his tongue was heavy and his words slurred.

“Right now, maybe, but that isn’t you. You won’t want it later.” The words fought Mint Choco every step of the way, but he stayed strong. He wouldn’t take advantage of one of his best friends, no matter how much said friend claimed to want it.

“How do you know that?” He sounded defensive now. At least, as defensive as someone in his state could sound.

“You got hit with the Love Virus, and it’s giving you feelings that you wouldn’t normally have. As soon as we get you cured, those feelings will go away.” It was a sad truth. Infatuation caused by the Love Virus only lasted as long as the host had the virus in their system, disappearing immediately upon recovery. Sparkling fell silent at this, and part of Mint Choco hoped that he realized that he wasn’t really in love with him.

He felt the weight on his shoulders shift, and as it decreased he realized that Sparkling was trying to stand up on his own, and suddenly hardly touching Mint Choco at all. His skin where they had once been pressed together lamented the absence of both warmth and casual intimacy. He had wanted this, hadn't he? He had wanted Sparkling to realize that he didn't have real feelings for him, that he didn't ever have them and never would. There was a cold emptiness in his chest now, one that would no doubt be exacerbated by Sparkling’s eventual full recovery. Once he was in a proper state of mind he wouldn't want anything to do with Mint Choco ever again.

Sparkling made towards his room, having taken his arm off of Mint Choco and instead latching onto a nearby wall to remain upright. He didn’t do a very good job of it, staggering and nearly falling with every other step, but he kept walking. He didn’t look back once, and Mint Choco could feel his heart break just a little bit more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward encounters and a dinner date gone wrong.

“Mint Choco, I…” Sparkling trailed off, a blush beginning to show in his cheeks. “I’m in love with you. I’ve _been_  in love with you, for as long as I can remember.” He tugged on his suspenders, as though desperate for something to keep his hands occupied, to keep them from doing something else. Mint Choco could only imagine what that something else would be. “I’m sorry if this is weird. I just,” he stopped again, anxiety written all over his face. Mint Choco stepped closer, took a deep breath, and leaned in.

“Is… is this alright?” he asked, his traitorous voice shaking, revealing his own nerves. Sparkling’s eyes flashed with something, but he didn’t have time to identify it before the gap was closed. His lips were sweet and soft, gentle against his own. He moved his hands to Sparkling’s shoulders, and he melted under his touch. He slowly pulled away, and looked Mint Choco in the eye.

“Minty,” he started, the nickname sounding downright sinful coming out of Sparkling’s mouth. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything,” Mint Choco gasped, desperate for more, more contact, more of Sparkling’s mouth on his own, more of whatever Sparkling wanted from him.

“I need you to wake up.”

“What?”

“Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.” Sparkling’s voice was twisting now, distorting into something familiar that he couldn’t quite place…

"Hey. Wake up." Mint Choco reluctantly opened his eyes to find Rockstar standing over him, prodding his cheek with a single fake nail. “Finally. I was worried I’d have to find a mortician.” Rockstar crossed the room to grab his guitar case, which he had carefully propped up against the wall. “C’mon, you’re late for practice, nerd.” Mint Choco sat up, bleary-eyed and tragically Sparkling-free.

"What time is it?" His throat was dry and his mouth tasted like sleep-- dream-Sparkling's mouth had a much better taste, his mind provided, and he mentally slapped himself-- so he must've slept in for at least an hour or so-

"It's one PM."

Fuck.

Mint Choco threw the covers off and grabbed his violin from its designated spot on his desk, foregoing brushing his teeth. He could probably mooch some gum off of Blackberry at practice, she usually had some on her. (He would never ask Gumball. Not after last time. He was stuck to that wall for at least an hour.) He hardly had time to think about Sparkling as he dashed to the practice room, but he did anyway. How long would it be until the Love Virus wore off? What if he ran into him today? Would he still be all clingy? Mint Choco didn’t think he could handle a full day of that. He turned the corner and found himself face to face with the subject of his worries. He could see panic flash across Sparkling’s face before being covered up with an uneasy smile. It was worrying seeing such an unconfident expression on a man who was normally anything but.

“Uh, hey, Mint Choco,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. “I, uh…” He seemed to be reaching for words, but found none. “I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, um, see ya.”

Sparkling walked past him, and Mint Choco could hear his footsteps echo through the hall as he broke into a run. Mint Choco’s chest felt some mix of empty and numb. It had already worn off, and his fears had been realized. Sparkling doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Mint Choco continued walking to practice, slower now, going through the motions. He arrived at the practice room and set down his violin, ignoring the chatter of his bandmates, and walked to the bathroom. Shutting and locking the door behind him, he sat on the floor, not feeling the cold tile against his bare thighs, not caring if it was dirty or not.

The tears were a process. It started off as a sniffle, hardly noticeable, which soon escalated to tears rolling silently down his cheeks. After a little while of this, he started to sob, the tears coming faster and faster, the words he couldn't bring himself to say becoming louder and louder, rattling around in his head with such intensity that he was sure they would tear him apart. He was bawling now, hugging his knees to his chest, curled up on the floor of the practice room bathroom.

He felt a weight settle evenly across his shoulders, the pressure helping to calm him down a fraction. He turned his head to see Blackberry, now beside him with one sweater-clad arm around him comfortingly. "I heard distress so I picked the lock." Huh. That's a fun fact. Mint Choco filed that info away and leaned into her side. She smelled of fruity perfume and wool. "Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head. "Alright. Just know that we're here for you if you need us." He plopped his head on her shoulder in a way that he hoped conveyed a thank you. She must've gotten the message. "It's no problem. You're our friend, and we know you'd do the same for us."

They sat like that for a while, until their practice time was long past and the sun hung low in the sky, and evening began to fall upon the world outside the bathroom window. They would've sat longer, but Mint Choco's empty stomach got tired of waiting and decided to make itself known. "Oh, right. I haven't eaten today." He said it casually, like one would talk about the weather. He sometimes went days without eating while writing music. He would fixate on composing and chords and dynamics and the rest of the world, his own needs included, would fade away to nothing more than background static and white noise. It was just a part of his routine now.

Blackberry, however, was not going to let this go. She stood up, pulled Mint Choco up with her-- thank god, his legs were asleep so he needed the help-- and looked him in the eyes, her gaze unwavering. "Let's go get dinner," she said, but he could tell it wasn't a suggestion. They were going to get dinner whether he liked it or not. Fortunately, he didn't mind Blackberry’s taste in restaurants, so he let himself be dragged along.

They ended up at a small, homey restaurant, all plush seats and checkered tablecloths. A smiling waitress led them to their booth, and Mint Choco absentmindedly fiddled with the hem of his shirt as he read through one of the menus that had been placed on the table. Blackberry looked briefly through hers, and then back up at Mint Choco. “What are you thinking of getting? The pie is pretty good here.” Mint Choco gave the menu another quick once over before deciding.

“The bear jelly soufflé seems worth trying.”

“Ooh, I haven’t had that yet. Maybe I’ll get it too.”

They had a little while before the waitress would come back, it being the dinner rush and all, so they talked about trivial, safe things. Mint Choco knew that Blackberry knew that bringing up a sensitive topic right now could very possibly send him into another meltdown, and he appreciated her effort. He just wished things didn’t always feel so stiff when this kind of thing happened, even if it was for the best. Eventually they just sat in silence. He couldn’t tell what kind of silence it was, but it sure was silence. The waitress arrived at their table, apologized for the wait, and took down their orders before rushing away to attend to other customers. The two were left in silence yet again.

“...Truth or dare?” Blackberry ventured. Mint Choco shrugged. Why not?

“Truth.”

“Why did you choose to learn violin?” It was a pretty safe question, but she seemed genuinely curious.

“I don’t really remember. I guess it’s just the first musical instrument I could get my hands on, so I stuck with it. Truth or dare?”

“Dare.” Blackberry smirked. Why didn’t Mint Choco see this coming? She knew he was terrible at coming up with dares.

“I dare you to… uh…” Mint Choco struggled, trying to think of anything that he could dare her to do. “I dare you to make a horse noise.” Blackberry laughed.

“That’s seriously the best you’ve got? Come on, dig deep!” It was a challenge now, one that Mint Choco refused to back down from.

“Alright, I dare you to get the waitress’ number when she brings our food.” Blackberry was visibly surprised by this, and grinned wider.

“That’s more like it!” The mood was a lot lighter now, and Mint Choco was glad. He had almost entirely forgotten about his problem.

“Hey, I have to go pick my sister up from the doctor’s, can you take over until I get back?” He could hear the waitress’ voice coming from the nearby host station.

“Sure, no one’s really at the bar right now anyway.” A reply in an all too familiar tenor. Oh no. Oh no no no.

“We have to leave right now.” He could feel himself tensing up, and he grasped at his arms with white knuckles. Blackberry’s face quickly shifted from her prior amusement to intense worry.

“Are you alright? What can I do to help?” The same voice was humming now, and getting closer. He was out of options. He threw up the part of the tablecloth that hung over the edge, and dove under the table, curling himself tightly into a ball, half to avoid being seen, half because he couldn’t help it. If what he heard above him was any indicator, he did it with no time to spare.

“Hey Blackberry!” Sparkling’s voice rang out, clear yet sweet, and Mint Choco could feel his heart pounding. “Funny seeing you here! Enjoying your night?” Blackberry, bless her soul, didn’t miss a beat.

“Yeah, I’ve just been sitting here waiting for someone. I think I might’ve gotten stood up though.” She was really selling the part. Mint Choco could practically hear the loneliness in her voice.

“That would explain the two orders.” Sparkling scuffed the floor with his shoe, assumably unsure of how to proceed. Alright, going well so far. Blackberry made it awkward, so now Sparkling would leave to give her some alone time- “You know what? There’s no one else left unserved in this section, and the dinner rush is basically over now. I can keep you company until your friend arrives, if that’s alright?” Mint Choco cursed his rotten luck. Why must Sparkling be so nice? Blackberry was caught off guard as well, and fumbled a little bit before responding.

“Yeah, that’d… that’d be great. Thanks, Sparkling.” Mint Choco was forced to huddle closer to Blackberry as Sparkling and his stupid, long, beautiful-- nope, no! It’s time to stop!-- legs slid into the seat where Mint Choco had been less than five minutes prior. She must’ve felt him shaking against her calf, because she reached a hand down and quickly petted his hair soothingly. “Sorry, just pulling up my sock,” he heard her say to Sparkling, and he heard a knowing hum in response. They sat quietly for a minute before Sparkling spoke again.

“I love working here, but it’s really testing on my self control sometimes, y’know? All the food looks so good!” The table shifted then, and Sparkling was presumably leaning across it. “If your date doesn’t show, can I eat their soufflé? I’ll pay you back,” he stage-whispered, and Blackberry giggled.

“Be my guest. It’s pretty good from what I can tell, but there’s only one way to find out.” She took a big mouthful of her food, and Mint Choco hoped that would deter further conversation for at least a minute or two. It worked, but not for very long. After a little less than a minute, Sparkling heaved a sigh.

“Can I talk to you about something?” His tone was serious, and Mint Choco could feel his heart rate double. Blackberry inconspicuously moved one of her hands under the table to lay it firmly on his shoulder, grounding him. He made a mental note to thank whatever higher power there was out there for giving him such a good friend.

“Of course. My ears are always open. They just so happen to be covered by my hair most of the time.” This got a quick laugh out of Sparkling, a beautiful, sonorous sound that made Mint Choco’s heart pound in an entirely different way.

“I just, uh,” Sparkling was getting anxious, if the slight kicking of his legs under the table was any indication. He took a deep breath. “You’re friends with Mint Choco, right?” _Fuck,_ Mint Choco thought very loudly. _Fuck,_ he thought again, but with more emphasis this time. He curled in on himself tighter. When did it get so hard to breathe? Blackberry crossed her calves over him now, giving him a sort of weird leg hug. The pressure helped a little bit, but not enough. Everything was suddenly too much. The soft fabric of his raglan shirt was now suffocating, the denim of his shorts unbearably scratchy. He hugged himself as tight as he could, his nails digging into his upper arms.

“Yeah, we’re pretty close. Why do you ask?”

“I ran into him earlier and I messed up and it’s been eating me up all day.” That… is not what Mint Choco was expecting. “I was going to say something to him but I completely blanked and I felt so awkward so I just bolted. God, I must’ve seemed so rude. I feel so bad about it.” Well, now he was pretty sure that Sparkling didn’t hate him. He felt his muscles untense a little, but he was still suffering the effects of overstimulation, which really put a damper on his relief. “I had wanted to apologize for…” Sparkling hesitated. “...something, but just thinking about it made me feel so awkward and I got super worried like what if he didn’t forgive me? What if he didn’t want to be friends anymore? I just freaked out and froze up and it was the worst and I just- ugh!” Sparkling interrupted his rambling with a loud noise of exasperation. His leg kicking, which had gradually increased in speed and intensity over the course of the tangent, suddenly ramped up exponentially. Which is to say, Mint Choco took a swift kick to the ribs. Fortunately-- in some sort of ironic, cosmic sense, that is-- the wind was knocked out of him so he couldn’t make any sort of noise, but Sparkling definitely noticed the fact that his foot had come into contact with some sort of solid mass. “Oh shit, what did I just-” He began to lift the tablecloth to peer underneath, and Mint Choco’s anxiety spiked again. He was beginning to feel like some sort of seismograph.

“My purse!” Blackberry quickly cut him off, bringing his attention back to above the table. “Sorry, I have my purse under the table. It’s got some books and stuff in it, I’m so sorry if it hurt your foot.” Add another tally to the 'Blackberry saving Mint Choco’s life' column.

“Oh, no, I’m fine. Sorry that I got a little out of control there. I’m just,” he paused again, and Mint Choco saw the table shift. Sparkling must be leaning on it again, more on his side this time. “I’ve just been really torn up over this. Sorry for talking your ear off.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m always happy to help.” Mint Choco could picture Blackberry’s kind smile accompanying the words.

“Thanks for that. It means a lot to me.” He stood up and got out of the booth. Mint Choco quickly shifted towards the wall to avoid being seen from the new vantage point. “I should get back to my station in case the boss comes around. You can keep the other soufflé, I’m not really hungry anymore. I’ll still cover it, though. Let me get you your check.” Sparkling walked off to the counter to tally up the check, and Blackberry lifted the tablecloth, looking Mint Choco in the eyes.

“Now’s your chance. Run.”

He didn’t have to be told twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) hoooo boy I'm an angst man. here's some heart hurting juice.  
> 2) I hope the panic attack/meltdown was written well enough. all I can do is write from experience but I know my experiences aren't universal.  
> 3) I hope my characterization of Blackberry is alright. I've never played the LINE version of Cookie Run and I haven't consumed much content with her in it. I still love her tho.  
> 4) the kick in the ribs was a terrible idea that struck me in the moment and I ran with it because I'm a terrible person.  
> 5) as always thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it so far!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler with a purpose. (Alternatively: Time for Alchemist.)

Pain. Everything was pain as he sprinted in the general direction of home. His crying from earlier had finally caught up to him in the form of a throbbing headache, his legs burned from overuse, and, judging by the way it hurt to breathe, Sparkling might've bruised one of his ribs. Why did he hide under the table? He could've just gone to the bathroom! He saw the complex through the trees, and slowed his pace to a jog. Soon even this was too much for his aching muscles and he decided to walk the rest of the way.

He finally reached the front door, punched in the access code, and headed straight for the elevator. He usually took the stairs, but he wasn’t sure if he’d survive it in this state. He was the only one using the elevator at this time of night, thankfully, and spent the whole ride in blissful solitude. He’d had enough of being around other people for one day. He didn’t dislike people, not by any means. The problem was, people were unpredictable, like uncontrollable variables in the equation of social interaction. The more other people were involved, the more things could go wrong. He could only improvise in those situations for so long, so he liked to keep them short to prevent that. Of course, he knew some people well enough to be prepared for any situation they could throw at him: Blackberry, Pink Choco, and Rockstar, for example. He _got_ them, and vice versa.

As he approached his room another sharp surge of pain shot through his ribs. He winced and pressed a hand to his side before pressing onwards. He unlocked his door and practically fell through the threshold, collapsing onto his bed, exhausted. He almost dozed off before realizing that his clothes should probably be put in the hamper first. He stripped off his shirt, now soaked with sweat from running (gross), and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Observation #1: his hair was a mess. Annoying, but not what caught his attention. Which led him to Observation #2: he was still wearing his binder. He couldn’t have had time to put on his binder that morning, which meant he hadn’t taken it off the night before. No wonder his ribs hurt so badly. Cursing his own inattentiveness, he carefully pulled his binder over his head, trying his hardest to ignore the pain that shot through each rib as it moved over it.

He had been doing really well with remembering to take his binder off, up until now. Of course, his current situation was anything but typical, so he supposed he couldn’t place all of the blame upon himself. He threw his clothes in the hamper and walked to the bathroom. Or maybe he could blame himself for not acclimating to the new conditions well enough. He turned on the shower and stepped under the spray. Or maybe, just maybe, he could stop thinking about the whole thing altogether. Yeah, that’s what he’d do. He’d stop thinking about it starting… now.

…

The water was nice and warm.

Sparkling’s body had been warm too- no, no, nope, no way, not now, not ever. Not thinking about it.

…

Mint Choco heaved a sigh. This was going to be very, very hard.

* * *

 

It was during day 2 of Mint Choco’s Desperate Struggle to Not Think About It that he realized how hard it would really be. It started innocently enough, with him getting dragged to some sort of magic duel (Rehearsal? Ceremony? He wasn’t sure.) in the morning. Rockstar had promised Vampire he would bring people to watch, it was explained to him as they walked to the arena. The metal bleachers were practically baking in the hot sun, making Mint Choco thankful he had worn full length jeans for once. He usually didn’t like having his leg movement restricted by longer pant legs, but this pair of jeans was loose enough for him to wear comfortably. His ribs felt better after a night of binderless sleep, so he was wearing his binder again, as well as one of his usual long sleeve shirts to shield his arms from the sun. They found Vampire sitting on one of the highest bleachers, a glass of wine in one hand and a ridiculously oversized foam finger on the other.

“‘Sup sluts,” Vampire called to them, raising his glass in greeting. They sat next to him, and he used the foam finger to gesture at an indistinct purple-ish smudge on the field far below. “Would either of you like to help me embarrass my sister?”

Rockstar’s eyes lit up, and Mint Choco wasn’t sure whether or not he should be concerned. “Hell yes. You got a megaphone?” Vampire gave a small nod and reached into his bag, retrieving what was indeed a small electric megaphone.

“Of course. What kind of older brother do you take me for?” Okay, he should definitely be concerned. Rockstar eagerly snatched it out of Vampire’s hand, and pressed it flush against his mouth. Mint Choco cringed at the unhygienic display. That wasn’t even necessary with an electric one. He covered his ears in preparation for what was sure to come.

“Yeah, Alchemist! Score a touchdown!! Football!!!” Rockstar shouted into the megaphone, the sound echoing through the nearly empty stadium. All movement halted, and a frustrated cry arose from the field.

“Vampire, I’m going to murder you and your stupid friends!”

Vampire smiled and took a sip of his wine before cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting back. “Love you too, sis!”

The rest of the morning continued in a similar manner, with Rockstar and Vampire making fools of themselves to embarrass Alchemist, and Mint Choco watching on, sometimes joining in, but for the most part remaining quiet. He was content to just listen to his friends laugh as he watched the bright flashes of magic fly across the field.

The tournament ended at noon, with Alchemist standing proudly on the podium at second place. Wizard got first, which seemed to surprise absolutely no one. Cream Puff didn’t manage to make the top three, but seemed proud of herself regardless. Mint Choco clapped politely for everyone as they were announced, but when Alchemist’s turn came he was drowned out by Vampire and Rockstar’s whooping and cheering. He could feel the glare being shot at them from the podium.

“Alright!” Vampire declared, standing up suddenly. “Let’s go celebrate. On Alchemist.”

“You mean _to_ Alchemist?” Mint Choco stood up as well, and brushed off the back of his pants.

“Nope. On Alchemist. She makes at least ten times the cash that I do, so,” Vampire finished his statement with a shrug and a noise that was strangely relatable.

“You don’t make any cash,” Rockstar laughed. “You just lie around and drink wine all day.” They all began the walk down to the field where Alchemist was waiting for them.the

“Ipso facto, she makes more than I do.”

Rockstar snorted a laugh. “I don’t think you’re using that phrase correctly.” Oh, they were going to banter now. _It figures,_ Mint Choco thought.

“How would you know, Mr. Music Man? Did you go to Words University? Huh?” Vampire put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. His wine was spilling on the ground now, the glass still clasped in his hand as it rested on his hip. It was a waste of good wine. At least the ants got a chance to party.

“Are you two going to just make weird sassy goo-goo eyes at each other or are you going to force me to buy dinner?” Alchemist had her duffel bag on one shoulder, presumably stuffed full of magic doohickeys, and a soft scowl on her face. She noticed Mint Choco and waved. “Hey. I didn’t anticipate you being here. Thanks for coming, I guess. Not that you could see of it much from where my brother made you guys sit.” She turned her attention to her full water bottle, which she emptied in a few seconds time, Vampire softly chanting ‘chug!’ as she did so. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and unceremoniously threw it at a nearby trash can, sighing when it bounced off the rim. She picked it up and dropped it in properly, assuring the others that she’d ‘get it one of these days’. Mint Choco believed in her. Not much, but he did. “Alright, let's go get dinner."

The universe works in mysterious ways. As far as Mint Choco was concerned, the universe had decided to cover his figurative hands in figurative paper cuts and dunk them in figurative lemon juice. They were at the restaurant. _The_ restaurant, the same one he had went to with Blackberry the night before. The restaurant where he hid under the table like an idiot. Most importantly, the restaurant where Sparkling had been working. He didn’t dare look over his shoulder for fear of seeing that familiar mop of blonde and the dazzling smile that came with it waiting for him behind the bar. Alchemist looked at him and he tensed even more, afraid that she would somehow know, that the reasons for his anxiety were written across his face in big, bold letters. Vampire and Rockstar were, fortunately, too busy trying to flag down a server to notice. After a few minutes of arm waving and various ridiculous antics (Rockstar pretended to have a heart attack, Vampire was juggling at one point.) a tired-looking waiter came to take their orders.

“Can I get an order of yellow bear fries and a bloody mary?” Vampire handed the menu to the waiter from his new position across Rockstar’s lap.

“I’m sorry, sir, if you want alcoholic drinks you have to be seated at the bar. It’s company policy.” Oh god. Oh god oh fuck. Vampire slowly and deliberately sat up, narrowing his eyes at the waiter.

"So be it." He spoke solemnly, but with an underlying power that could make the strongest of men quake in their boots. He stepped out of the booth and walked across the dining room to the bar, his posture ramrod straight, each step exuding purpose. Halfway to the bar he turned around and shouted to the waiter. "Kidding! You're just doing your job, keep up the good work!" Then, to the table, he added, "Are you coming or not, you walnuts?" before sashaying the rest of the way.

Rockstar shrugged and followed Vampire, leaving Mint Choco alone with Alchemist in the booth. "Something's up. You've got something on your mind," she said plainly, not bothering with any pretense of ignorance. It was comforting, in a way, but also didn't give him much room to lie his way out.

He figured that being honest about it was probably the best choice. "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He opened his mouth, but was cut off by the sound of laughter, light and sweet, yet rich, like honey. It was an all too familiar sound. He could feel himself hunker down involuntarily in fear of being spotted, and this action didn't escape Alchemist’s watchful eye.

"It's Sparkling, isn't it." It wasn't a question, for she didn't need to ask. She already knew. Mint Choco sighed.

"Yeah."

"I think you ought to talk about it."

She wasn't wrong. He hadn't told anyone about his… problem yet, not even Blackberry, and it was starting to have an impact on him. It was much easier to bottle up and forget about before, when he just had to deal with the way his stomach flipped at Sparkling’s smiles, and the warm and tingly feeling that spread slowly through his chest when they spoke. But now, he couldn't so much as think about him without his mind venturing back to that night, to the pleasant weight of Sparkling's body wrapped around his own, to- best to stop there. He must've been blushing thinking about it, because Alchemist spoke again.

"You like him."

"Yeah."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Absolutely not, no way." Mint Choco waved his arms dismissively. Telling Sparkling wasn't an option, or at least not one he would ever consider. Just because Sparkling didn't hate him for what happened because of the Love Virus doesn't mean he wouldn't hate him for actually having feelings for him. "I just need to wait for  _ this _ ," he waved his hands in a way that didn't actually clarify anything at all, "to die down. Then it'll be easy again, and things will go back to the way they were before."

Alchemist raised an eyebrow at him. "Before you had a crush on him?"

Mint Choco shook his head. It was cheesy, but he couldn't remember a time when he didn't like Sparkling. Well, everyone liked Sparkling, but, like,  _ like _ like. Not that he'd ever say that out loud. Instead, he opted for, "Before he got hit with the Love Virus."

"He was all over someone else, huh?"

"No, he was all over me, but it hurts so bad because I can't stop thinking about it even though I know he doesn't really feel that way about me."

Alchemist looked at him strangely. She spoke slowly, with a hint of disbelief. The ‘how are you this stupid’ style disbelief, which is the worst kind of disbelief. "You  _ do _ know that the Love Virus-" she began, but didn't get to finish.

"Mint! Get your toothpaste tushie over here, nerd!” Rockstar was somehow already drunk. Mint Choco turned his attention to the bar and could see at least five empty bottles in front of his now sloppy friend, as well as one Vampire thoroughly attached to said friend's neck. Gross.

"Coming!” He reluctantly shouted back. Someone had to keep those two from getting kicked out, his out of control feelings be damned. He set off for the bar, leaving Alchemist alone in the booth. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I was  _ going _ to say that the Love Virus only plays off of existing feelings… idiots."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Alchemist Cookie a lot. What a gal.  
> 1) hope y'all like Vampire in this chapter, he was a lot of fun to write  
> 2) sorry that this chapter took so long, the school year is coming to a close so I got kinda busy  
> 3) please let me know if I messed anything up because I never reread my own work ever  
> 4) thank you for reading!! I really appreciate the fact that y'all take time out of your busy schedules to read my gay shit


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes.

"Hey, Mint Choco, great to see ya! What can I get for you?" Sparkling stood at the counter, polishing glasses with a wide smile. If Mint Choco had once had plans for what he'd say, they were completely forgotten now.

"I- uh," he floundered for a moment. "Champagne?"

"Nice choice! Special occasion?"

"No, uh, I just like it bubbly." Why did he say that? Sparkling was bubbly! That could be interpreted in various ways! Sparkling paused, apparently caught off guard, before slipping back into his usual smooth persona.

"I would hope so." He winked, and Mint Choco wanted to die. Not because he didn't like what was happening, but because he was sure he wouldn't like what was to come. Namely, him not being able to pretend anymore, doing or saying something regrettable, and losing one of his good friends. If he was dead, he couldn't confess his love-- oh god. He said the L-word. Or, thought it. That didn't matter, though, because it came up all the same. But it was true, wasn't it? This was more than a crush. He was full on, head over heels in love with Sparkling.

"Mint Choco? You alright?" He snapped out of his L-word panic to find Sparkling staring at him, worried. He'd better get over this, quick, before Sparkling figured out what was going on.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a minute."

Sparkling smiled knowingly. "I feel ya. Happens to me a lot too." He slid a glass of champagne across the counter. "Here, on me." He looked apprehensive for a moment before speaking again, quieter, more carefully. "Can I talk to you? Alone?" Mint Choco grimaced and downed his drink.

"Yeah, of course." He hoped Sparkling couldn't hear his voice shaking. "I, uh, might need something a little stronger than this first, though."

Something akin to hurt flashed across Sparkling’s face, but was replaced by his usual easy grin before Mint Choco could puzzle on it. Under his breath, he said, almost sadly, "Yeah, me too." Mint Choco didn't think he was supposed to hear it. It weighed on his soul in a way that was hard to put into words.

"Here," Sparkling placed two shot glasses on the counter and poured an amber liquid into each in turn. Mint Choco didn't know much about alcohol, but he assumed whatever was in the glasses was strong by the way it burned his throat. He took careful sips, and Sparkling laughed. "It's easier like this," he said, pouring himself another shot before throwing his head back and swallowing the drink as quickly as possible. He refilled both glasses and Mint Choco followed his example, downing his shot and wincing at the burn. He set the glass down with a clack and looked Sparkling in the eyes. Eye contact was surprisingly easy when intoxicated.

"I think I'm ready to talk."

* * *

The air conditioning in the restaurant's cramped bathroom was running full blast, making Mint Choco once again glad that he wore long sleeves. Sparkling seemed unfazed by it, probably because he was drunk, right on the near edge of shitfaced. Other than that, it was suffocatingly silent.

"I thought you owned your own bar?" Mint Choco finally spoke. Sparkling nodded.

"Yeah, it's closed for renovations so I'm working here till it's open again."

Silence. Small talk had failed him once again.

Sparkling sighed. "Listen, I want to apologize for what happened. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." His words were beginning to slur now. "And I get it if you don't want to hang out with me or if you think I'm creepy because I know you don't feel the same and I just-"

The rest of his words turned to tuneless gibberish in Mint Choco’s head as he processed those last few words.  _ ‘I know you don't feel the same.’ _

"-oh man this is really weird isn't it I'm so sorry I'll just go now and we can pretend this never happened-" He was walking to the door now. No. No, no! They were so close!  _ Do something, idiot! _ Mint Choco’s brain screamed at him, and he felt particularly compelled to listen. He grabbed Sparkling's wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

"Sparkling," his tongue was thick and heavy in his mouth, making speaking difficult, but he kept going, "that night, when I told you we couldn't do anything," Sparkling turned his head away, prepared for rejection. Mint Choco took a deep breath. "I never said I didn't have feelings for you."

Sparkling blinked. He blinked again. He did this a couple times. Then his eyes lit up in recognition, and his lips were crashing against Mint Choco's.

It wasn't perfect, but Mint Choco loved it all the same. Sparkling's face was hot from the liquor, and his technique was sloppy for the same reason. They both pulled away for air and Sparkling spoke again. "Sorry, I probably should've asked first, huh?"

Mint Choco laughed and threw his arms around Sparkling's neck, pulling him back in. He kissed him greedily, so desperate to finally have what he had been dreaming of for so long. Sparkling’s mouth was bitter like the shots they’d been drinking, much different from how he had imagined. Of course, nothing about this was how he had imagined it. He had imagined his first kiss with Sparkling being somewhere scenic, maybe in a nice park, with the sun just visible over the horizon. They would’ve been having a picnic, or skipping stones across a lake, or just enjoying each other’s company, when they would slowly get closer together. He’d stare into Sparkling’s emerald eyes, flicking his gaze momentarily down to his lips to indicate interest, and then they’d both lean in, and-

The bathroom door was flung open with a creak. “Yo Mint are you in h-” Rockstar stopped, and Mint Choco and Sparkling quickly untangled themselves, panting, but it accomplished nothing. Rockstar may have been more drunk than a middle-aged mom at a sweet sixteen, but he wasn’t stupid. He gave them a thumbs up and a quick ‘nice’ before stumbling out, closing the door behind him. The two stood in silence for a moment before quickly breaking into laughter.

"We should probably go somewhere less public, huh?" Mint Choco ran a hand through his hair, and noticed that Sparkling was suddenly paying rapt attention. He really did like his hair, huh? Sparkling slowly lifted a hand, held it above Mint Choco's head, and tilted his own head to the side, asking permission. Mint Choco chuckled softly and nodded, and Sparkling gently petted the top of his head. It was really nice. Mint Choco liked having his hair petted, and Sparkling's gentle, slender fingers were perfect for it. Said fingers were now carding through his thick green locks, seemingly unsatisfied with just gliding along the surface.

"Your hair is really nice. It's soft."

"Thank you, yours is nice too. Well, I mean, I don't know if it's soft or anything, but it looks nice." Mint Choco was still sober enough to be awkward, but it didn't really matter. He made out with his crush, who, as it turned out, liked him back. He didn't care about a little bit of awkward conversation.

Sparkling gently grasped Mint Choco's hand and placed it on top of his own head, the dark fingers disappearing in a sea of blonde. "Now you know."

The gesture was so sweet, so domestic, that Mint Choco had to resist the urge to kiss him again. Instead, he let the moment carry on, simply enjoying the feeling of loving someone and being loved in return.

* * *

“Shh, someone’s gonna hear us!” Mint Choco giggled. They were at his door, now thoroughly shitfaced. After the moment in the bathroom, they had both gone back to the bar. The anxiety of possibly unrequited feelings behind them, they drank again, this time without the heavy heartedness that accompanied the prior fear of rejection. They went shot for shot when they weren’t having drunken, sloppy makeout sessions. It was pretty gross for everyone except them.

Sparkling clapped his free hand over his mouth-- his other arm was slung across Mint Choco’s shoulders-- but it wasn’t enough to fully suppress the sound of his snickering. “Vampire’s face,” he began between laughs, “when you took the bottle-” He stumbled, nearly bringing Mint Choco down with him. “-and just chugged it! Priceless!” Mint Choco laughed as he fumbled with his keys, which all looked the same through the rose-colored lens of inebriation. He finally found the correct one, unlocked his door with a click, and stumbled into the dark apartment with Sparkling in tow.

He flicked on the lights and immediately jumped. Or, jumped as much as he could jump with Sparkling weighing him down. Either way, the fact remained that Pink Choco was on his couch. "Hey, I just wanted to- oh." She noticed Sparkling and stopped in the middle of whatever she was going to say. "Well, this is kinda awkward."

"Yeah, sis, just a bit. Why are you in my apartment?"

"What, a girl can't check in on her beloved little brother every now and then?" Mint Choco shot her a look. Pink Choco let out an exaggerated gasp. "Do you think I have some kind of ulterior motive? I'm shocked, Minty, shocked and offended, that you would think so low of me!" She pressed one hand against her chest dramatically before quickly dropping the joke altogether. "Anyway, I came to talk about the… situation, but I see you got it figured out." Sparkling smiled.

"We kissed. A lot. It was really nice." The words were hardly understandable.

Pink Choco looked at Sparkling, then at Mint Choco, then Sparkling, and then back at Mint Choco again. "How much have you guys had to drink?"

"Heck if I know," Mint Choco said.

"Yes," Sparkling said at the same time.

Pink Cookie stood up. "Well, I'll leave you two to whatever, uh, antics-" she grimaced. "-you had planned. Just, do me a favor and please never tell me about it ever."

"Oh my god." Mint Choco pressed his free hand against his face in exasperation. (He had his other hand on Sparkling’s waist, absentmindedly tracing circles with his thumb.) "Wait, I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Why were you sitting here in the dark?"

"Dramatic effect." Pink Choco rubbed the back of her neck. "Also, it was light out when I got here, and I may or may not have passed out. See ya!" And with that, she was out the door before anyone could address what she had just said. She had a talent for that.

"Your sister seems nice."

"If by nice, you mean impossible to understand and strangely nosy, then yeah, she's pretty nice," Mint Choco laughed. "But she can actually be a really good sister, when she wants to." They sat down together, Sparkling's arm still around Mint Choco.

Sparkling let his head fall on his shoulder. "Sometimes I kinda wish that I had siblings. Growing up alone can get a little, well, lonely."

Mint Choco ran his fingers through the mop of blonde hair that now bubbled against his neck. (He still had no idea how Sparkling's hair worked. He found it much easier to just not think about it.) "You can have some of mine, if you want."

Sparkling laughed, the sound a vibrant contrast to the soft slurring of his speech. "Absolutely not. No offense, but the rest of your family scares me shitless."

Mint Choco chuckled. Dark Choco and White Choco could be intimidating to others, but to him they were just big dorks. Well, they were actually kinda cool sometimes, but he would never tell them that. He would never hear the end of it if he did. Apparently Sparkling wasn't done talking about them, though.

"But I will admit, they are hot."

Mint Choco spluttered. "What?"

"There's some sort of crazy-hot-gene that runs in your family, Minty." He paused. "Can I call you Minty?" It wasn't said as… the way that it was said-- Mint Choco didn't want to think anything incriminating-- in his dream, but it still had a powerful weight to it that left him feeling weak.

"Please do," he all but moaned, before quickly changing the subject back. Sparkling had a knowing smirk on his face, something that looked downright sinful paired with his half-lidded eyes. Okay, maybe not think about that. Focus on the conversation. ...What were they talking about again? Oh right, his siblings. Well, that was enough to kill whatever feeling Sparkling was making him feel. "First of all, we're all adopted, so it's not genetic. Second, I can't  _ believe _ you would come into my own home, and suggest that my siblings are more attractive than I am. This is the greatest dishonor you could ever-" He didn't get any further, because it was too hard to talk with Sparkling's mouth against his.

He pulled away but still kept his face close to Mint Choco's. "You were starting to sound like your sister. It's cute, but it's also kind of a turn off to think of her." He cupped Mint Choco's jaw with his hand, gently swiping his thumb across his lips. "Besides, I'd rather you not put words in my mouth when you can put your tongue in it instead."

"I swear, you're going to be the death of me," Mint Choco muttered, before grabbing Sparkling by the back of the neck and pulling him close, intent on giving him exactly what he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOOO BOY we made it. we finally made it. we've achieved gay shit. expect one more chapter to tie this all up with a nice lil bow. also I have a "same hat" moment planned shhh  
> I'd write more here but I was up til 2am writing this chapter last night and I'm thoroughly pooped. thanks for reading, y'all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confession time.

"Oh my goood, my head hurts."

Mint Choco pried his eyes open to find an unhappy face pressed against his chest, and limbs tangled with his own. He'd press a hand to his own aching head, but his arms were pinned to his sides by Sparkling's embrace. "We shouldn't have drank so much," he lamented.

"Tell me about it," Sparkling groaned, before stopping dead and looking up at Mint Choco in disbelief. "Oh shit. That actually happened, didn't it?" Mint Choco nodded. "Wow. Alright. Kinda figured that was some sort of lucid dream, to be honest." He moved one hand from where it rested on Mint Choco's back to hold it an inch away from his cheek. "May I?" Mint Choco leaned into his hand, giving him permission to proceed.

Sparkling kissed him sweetly, gently stroking his cheek with his thumb as he did so. Mint Choco placed a hand on his shoulder and tilted his head to the side, opening his mouth ever so slightly--

"Oh god, morning breath, bad idea, bad idea. Did not think that through." They both pulled away. "Let's try that again _after_ we get something to eat." Mint Choco chuckled. Then, quickly, he added, "If you want to, of course." Sparkling looked him in the eyes at this, and Mint Choco found himself transfixed. He was usually pretty okay at reading expressions, but Sparkling's look confounded him.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to." Sparkling spoke slowly, and Mint Choco could begin to identify individual emotions within Sparkling's confusing gaze. It had a deep, underlying sadness, perhaps from thinking back upon sleepless nights when all that would be on his mind was his seemingly unrequited love. It was determined, for what he had dreamed of for far too long was finally in his reach. But most of all, it was longing, more intense than Mint Choco could ever put into words. He couldn't stand it.

He put both of his hands on the sides of Sparkling's face and brought their foreheads together, half to show his intent, and half because he craved the proximity, needed the small, innocent moments of contact like he needed air.

"We still have morning breath," Sparkling whispered. "You don't have to do this right now."

"I want to." Mint Choco replied. "You're not the only one who's been wanting this for a long time."

They kissed again, careful to not open their mouths this time. Instead, they opted to wrap their arms around each other, bringing themselves as close together as physically possible, as though attempting to merge into one being so that they would never again have to be apart. Mint Choco broke away first and tilted his head upwards, gently pressing his lips to Sparkling's forehead. Sparkling tucked his head in the crook of Mint Choco's neck, and they stayed that way for a while, content.

"I am pretty hungry though," Sparkling eventually whispered. Mint Choco couldn't help the laugh that escaped him.

"Let's do something about that."

They were getting off of the couch to walk to the kitchenette when Mint Choco felt a familiar soreness in his chest. "Oh, god damn it," he muttered. He began to strip his shirt off, either forgetting his present company or not caring.

"Oh shit, did you want to-" Sparkling began, but noticed Mint Choco's binder (which he had once again forgotten to take off) and stopped. He pointed at it, but said nothing. Mint Choco's anxiety went on red alert.

"I'm sorry, I should've told you, I was waiting for the right moment but it didn't come up and I assumed you'd be fine with it but I shouldn't have assume and I totally understand if it's a dealbreaker--"

Sparkling's brain had finally kicked itself back into gear and he interrupted Mint Choco's anxious rambling. "Same hat."

"W-what?"

Sparkling stripped off his shirt with some minor fumbling to reveal a black binder underneath. He gestured at it with his thumb. "Same hat."

Mint Choco stared blankly. "Oh."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"We should probably take these off now, give our ribs a break." Mint Choco gestured to their binders. Sparkling gave him something between a smirk and a grin.

"Alright, titties out breakfast! My favorite!"

"I can still kick you out of my apartment, you know."

* * *

Breakfast was a simple affair: scrambled eggs and bacon quite a bit on the burnt side. Most of their time at table was spent picking at the blackened bacon (the eggs were quickly scarfed down), each of them trying to will himself to eat it. Eventually, Mint Choco put down his fork and sighed. "Wanna just toss it?" Sparkling's features flooded with relief.

"Yeah. I didn't want to say anything, because I'm sure you worked hard on it and all, but I just… _can't do_ burnt food."

"Hard same." Mint Choco picked up his fork again and gently gnawed at the tines. It was a bad habit, one that would probably ruin his teeth at that, but he made no effort to stop.

"So, we should probably talk about some things before really jumping into this relationship." Phrases akin to ‘we need to talk’ usually set off alarm bells for Mint Choco, but his mind was too focused on the relationship part to become panicked. Sparkling seemed to realize what he said and quickly backtracked. "I mean, provided that you want this to become a relationship. Because if this is just a fling, that's alright with me, or friends with benefits or whatever you want to do because I mean I would _like_ to be in a relationship with you, sure, but whatever you say goes, and--"

Mint Choco gently grabbed Sparkling's hands mid-gesture and brought their joined hands down to rest on the table. "I want to be in a relationship. With you." He made eye contact to prove his sincerity. He found that making eye contact with Sparkling was becoming easier a lot faster than he thought it would, which was nice.

"Same. With you, I mean, not with me. That would be a little weird." Sparkling chuckled nervously.

"What were the things you wanted to talk about?" They were still joined across the table, and if Mint Choco paid close enough attention he could feel Sparkling's rapid pulse. He gave his hands a reassuring squeeze.

"Well, I would've brought up the whole trans thing, but we've already gotten that out of the way."

Mint Choco nodded.

"So I figured we should probably bring up other important stuff like that." He took a deep breath. "And I want to tell you this, but I've only ever told like two people so it's kinda hard. Well, ‘kinda’ is an understatement. I'm honestly completely freaking out on the inside right now. I really don't want you to think less of me."

Mint Choco squeezed his hands again. "Sparkling, you are one of the most wonderful people I have ever met, and nothing could ever decrease the amount of love or respect I feel for you."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me." He paused, making his choice. "Alright." Sparkling took another shaky breath. "I'm… I'm autistic."

"Really?" Mint Choco blurted out in disbelief, and immediately let go of one of Sparkling's hands to cover his mouth. "I'm so sorry. That must've sounded so shitty of me, oh my god. It's just that I couldn't tell-- oh my god that sounds even worse."

Sparkling gave another nervous, humorless laugh and continued. "Yeah, I was diagnosed at a somewhat young age and then basically thrown in classes for most of my life so I could learn how to 'act normal’. I guess they worked. Also, I did improv for a while. Helps with thinking on your feet, y'know? I figured I'd need to be able to come up with excuses fast if people ever caught on." He stared down at the table, solemn now. "Sometimes, it feels like I'm wearing a mask. Like I'm wearing a mask, and it's only a matter of time before it slips out of my grip and shatters. And when it does, I'll have nothing to hide behind, and people will see what I truly am. And I have no idea how they'll react. That's the scariest part of all." His hands were trembling now, and Mint Choco could see tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. "I feel like I'm lying to everyone. Like I'm tricking them into loving something unlovable. And when they realize what I'm really like, they're going to leave me, or mock me, or hate me, or all of the above. I don't know if I'll be able to handle that."

Mint Choco didn't know what to say. Sparkling had just bared his soul to him and he had no idea how to proceed. Words were unreliable; he could very easily make things worse, even though he had the best of intentions. Instead, he did the only thing he could think to do. He stood up, walked to the other side of the table, put his arms around Sparkling, and held him tight. Sparkling buried his face into Mint Choco's neck, soaking the collar of his shirt with the tears that were now spilling over his cheeks. Mint Choco brought a hand up to stroke his hair soothingly. Tan fingers curled into Mint Choco's shirt as Sparkling's body shuddered with each sob.

"I'm here for you," Mint Choco whispered. "I'm with you and I love you, no matter what. Nothing will ever change that." He could only hope that he said the right thing, as Sparkling continued to cry against him.

Eventually his sobs tapered off into whimpers, and from there into sniffles. He pried his face away from Mint Choco's collarbone to meet his eyes with his own, red rimmed and puffy. "I'm sorry," he croaked, voice hoarse from sobbing. Mint Choco ran his thumb along Sparkling's cheek, wiping away a stray tear.

"You don't need to apologize."

"Then thank you. For being here. For dealing with me."

"I'd do it a million times over. Whenever you need me, I'm here."

"Thank you."

* * *

They were cuddling on the couch a few hours later when Mint Choco brought it up again. “You know, a lot of stuff makes sense now that I know that you have autism."

Sparking looked up at him from his position across Mint Choco's chest, ear against his heart. ("It's nice," he'd said, "To be able to listen to someone's heartbeat, and know that you're both there, and real, and alive.") "Yeah?"

"Yeah, like, I had been wondering why you wore so much velvet."

Sparkling chuckled. "Yeah, it's a good stim. Real discrete, y'know? Just sorta--" He ran his hands over his own thighs as a demonstration. Mint Choco nodded

"Personally, I prefer chew toys," Mint Choco said, pulling his rubber treble clef necklace out from under his shirt. "Kinda hard to do inconspicuously, though."

"Yeah, that does seem like a bit of a problem." Sparkling paused. "Wait, are you… are you autistic too?" Mint Choco gave him a half smile.

"I, uh, actually prefer ‘have autism’ for myself, but yeah." He rubbed at the back of his neck and turned his head away. "I would've brought it up earlier, but you were so distraught, so that was kinda my priority. Also, I didn't want to seem like I was trying to make the conversation about me or undercut your sadness or anything." He removed his hand from his neck and returned it to where it had previously rested at his side. "You deserve better than that."

He looked back at Sparkling to find him staring up at him, his eyes full of love. "Have I ever mentioned that you're the sweetest person I've ever met?"

Mint Choco smiled softly down at him. "I don't believe you have."

"Then allow me to amend that post-haste,” he said in an exaggerated formal voice, making Mint Choco giggle. "I, Sparkling Cookie--”

“Ooh, full names. Fancy," Mint Choco laughed. Sparkling shushed him, fake offended.

"I'm not finished! Talk about rude." He harrumphed, and folded his arms over his chest.

Mint Choco laughed again and held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. Please, do go on."

"That's better. Alright, where was I? Oh, right." He cleared his throat, a soft _hem-hem_ , and began again in his fancy voice. "I, sir Sparkling Cookie--”

“Why are you a knight this time?" Mint Choco laughed, unable to help it.

"I, SIR SPARKING COOKIE,” he practically shouted, tired of interruptions, before continuing at a normal volume, "hereby declare you, Mint Choco Cookie, the kindest and sweetest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. End statement." And with that, Sparkling pulled himself towards Mint Choco's face just long enough to give him a quick peck on the lips before settling back down on his chest again.

"You, _sir Sparkling Cookie_ , are a scoundrel," Mint Choco laughed, leaning forward and pulling Sparkling in for a proper kiss. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: one of the reasons I write this is to distract myself from my dead end crush on a straight boy.  
> 1) sorry if the characterization is a lil inconsistent. I'm trying my best.  
> 2) all discussions of autism and the characters' experiences with it are based off of my personal experience so I'm sorry if it's not really relatable for anyone else.  
> 2.5) (that's the reason why Sparkling's reveal was a big deal, bc when I told my friends, it was a big deal for me. it wasn't just for drama points, don't worry.)  
> 3) I'm determined to provide this fandom with the dorky loving mintspark it deserves  
> 4) thanks for reading and thank you so much for your kind comments. they give me live in these trying times.
> 
> (If anything in this chapter is formatted weird please lmk bc I uploaded this from my phone)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy ending at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this takes place a few weeks after chapter five. also, it gets a little bit raunchy. y'all've been warned. also cherry blossom and whipped cream are siblings.

Mint Choco walked into the rec room, put his violin case down on a table, and plopped down on the couch, giving the waiting Sparkling a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late, babe. Practice ran long."

Sparkling leaned against him happily. "Don't worry about it, hon. Movie night is flexible." Cherry Blossom heard the pet names and wiggled her eyebrows at Sparkling from where she sat across the room.

“ねえ、スパークリング、” she began, and Sparkling tilted his head to the side, listening. It was good that he apparently understood, because Mint Choco one hundred percent did not.

“うん？” Mint Choco didn't know that Sparkling spoke Japanese. Cool.

“おまえら、、、あのうね、、、” Cherry Blossom seemed to fumble for a polite way to say whatever it was she was saying, before giving up and resorting to hand gestures-- lewd ones, at that-- and more eyebrow wiggles. Mint Choco could now guess what it was they were talking about, and blushed.

“うるさいよ！” Sparkling laughed, grabbing a throw pillow off of the couch and chucking it at her. It caught her in the face, and she let out an undignified squawk. The two dissolved into a fit of giggles, and Mint Choco couldn't help but laugh too.

Whipped Cream poked his head in the doorway. "I heard raucous laughter. Am I too late for movie night?"

“Come on in, we haven't even decided on a movie yet." Sparkling made a vaguely inviting hand gesture.

Whipped Cream sat next to his sister, stared at Sparkling and Mint Choco for a second, and turned back to her. "姉さん？”

Why did everyone know Japanese except him?

"うん？” Cherry Blossom responded.

“あいつら、、、あのうね、、、” Whipped Cream proceeded to also search for words before making the exact same lewd hand gesture.

"Oh my god! We're sitting right here!” Sparkling exclaimed, a little less amused this time. Whipped Cream looked surprised.

“あ、そう！君は日本語話せるなぁ。忘れてしまった。ごめんね~。” He lilted, and Sparkling pointed at him dramatically.

“Yeah, well, next time 忘れるな, bitch!” His words were aggressive, but he quickly began laughing again. Mint Choco was so confused.

"Um, should I know what's going on?"

Sparkling put his arm around him and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry about it, honeybun.” Cherry Blossom fake retched. Sparkling glared at her before continuing. “ _Some people_ just have nothing better to do than be nosy."

"Hey, we have tons of other stuff we can do!" Cherry Blossom crossed her arms. "We also enjoy prying, intruding, and snooping."

"Besides, you can't put the blame on us. You two have been joined at the hip for the last two weeks, and it piqued our curiosity." Whipped Cream shrugged.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Sparkling chided him, his joking exasperation having turned to real frustration at some point.

"And satisfaction brought it back," Whipped Cream continued.

"Fuck you."

"You wish you could."

"No, I don't, actually," Sparkling sat up, and Mint Choco got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach at Whipped Cream’s smirk. "because I've got a _wonderful boyfriend_ who I can fuck _all day long!_ ”

"Oh my god," Mint Choco groaned, burying his face in his hands. Sparkling still smirked triumphantly, having not yet realized that he gave them exactly what they wanted. Or maybe he did realize and just didn’t care. Either way, Mint Choco was suffering.

"So you are… doing it?" Whipped Cream made the hand gesture again.

"Dude, just say fuck." Mint Choco's voice was muffled by his hands.

Sparkling crossed his arms. "Why does it matter to you?"

Cherry Blossom began counting off on her fingers. "Prying, snooping, ferreting about, being a busybody, etc." She shrugged. “You said it yourself, we’re nosy.”

“You want something to be nosy about?” Sparkling’s voice rose in pitch. “Fine! I’ll give you something to be nosy about!” He put his hands on either side of Mint Choco’s face, pulling it out of where he had hidden it within the confines of his own hands, and ferociously pressed it against his own.

In his shock, it took Mint Choco a moment to realize that something was off about the kiss. There was a thumb, Sparkling’s thumb, placed between their mouths, keeping their lips from fully meeting. A stage kiss. Even in his theatrics, Sparkling didn’t want to do anything without proper consent. Mint Choco smiled and moved Sparkling’s hand, bringing their mouths together and humming his approval. He could feel Sparkling smiling back against him, and deepened the kiss, Sparkling’s lips parting easily with a quiet moan. At this point he had sucked face with the bartender enough to know that kisses weren't at all like harlequin novels described them. Sparkling didn't taste like a fireplace on a winter's night, or thunderstorms and desperation, or even any sort of spice. He just tasted like mouth. Like tongue and teeth and saliva. The strangest thing was how Mint Choco found himself wanting more, found himself wanting to explore all of Sparkling's mouth with his own. So, that's precisely what he did. He could feel Sparkling's hands scrabbling at his back for purchase, and buried his own hands in the blonde hair before him, ruining the perfect coif.

They finally pulled away panting, all mussed hair and rumpled clothes. Cherry Blossom cleared her throat and they jumped, having forgotten their present company. "Can I get a waffle?" she said. "Can I please get a waffle?"

Sparkling groaned. “Have I ever mentioned that you’re the worst?”

* * *

The rest of the night was rather uneventful. The movie was some spaghetti western, or maybe a romantic comedy? He didn’t pay much attention to the plot, thanks in no small part to Sparkling’s teasing touches under the blanket he had acquired for them at some point. (“I will strike you,” Mint Choco had whispered through gritted teeth. Sparkling only smirked and ghosted a hand over his inner thigh, feather-light, relishing the way Mint Choco shuddered against him. “ _Do you wanna get striked?_ ” he whispered again, harshly. Sparkling’s face grew apprehensive and Mint Choco felt him squeeze his hand under the blanket, a question. Mint Choco squeezed back, a reassurance, and Sparkling resumed his teasing.)

It was dark out by the time they got back to Sparkling’s room, the dim hallway lights just barely illuminating their path as they walked. (It didn't help much, since they were too focused on sucking face the whole time anyway.) Mint Choco paid no heed to the squeak of their shoes against the tiled floor, or the way their noises echoed through the hall, or the fact that other people were _trying to sleep, god damn it_ . He was too focused on messy blonde hair, a pair of red, swollen lips, but most of all, how indescribably _good_ Sparkling’s body felt pressed flush against his own. He let Sparkling pry himself away long enough to unlock the door, and not a second longer. As soon as the door clicked shut he slammed him against the wall, pinning his wrists above his head and inadvertently knocking down a painting. Mint Choco didn’t attempt to pick it up. He was too busy tasting every inch of Sparkling’s face, quickly working his way down to his neck and collarbones.

“Someone’s eager,” Sparkling laughed, but it came out as more of a strangled moan. Mint Choco pulled away abruptly, making him whine.

“Are you complaining?” It was primarily meant as teasing, but there was a note of authenticity behind it. Sparkling looked him in the eyes.

“God no.”

"Good." Mint Choco immediately went back to lavishing kisses on Sparkling's exposed skin, his loose T-shirt giving plenty of room to work with. He switched from his previous frenzied pace to an infuriatingly slow one, nipping gently at the base of his boyfriend’s neck and feeling his breath hitch in response. He hovered his hands over Sparkling’s sides, almost touching but not quite.

“Oh come on,” he practically begged. “This is just cruel.”

He smiled at him devilishly. “Turnabout is fair play, darling.” He grabbed a handful of Sparkling’s hair and tugged, forcing his head back and fully exposing his throat.

(They’d been sitting on Mint Choco’s couch when he’d finally gotten the nerve to ask. “So, uh,” he’d began awkwardly before taking a deep breath and getting it over with. “What kind of stuff are you into?” Sparkling turned, confused.

“Like, movies? Because I’m fine with the one we’re watching if that’s what you’re--” he paused. “Oh, you mean like--?” Mint Choco nodded. “Oh.”

“Sorry if I made things awkward.”

Sparkling shook his head. “No, you’re good. I’ve been meaning to bring it up too.” He twiddled his thumbs. “It’s just sorta awkward no matter how it’s done, huh?”

Mint Choco chuckled, still awkward. “Yeah.”

A silence.

“I like not being in control,” Sparkling said suddenly. His face was bright red, but he kept going. “Like, being pinned down and stuff and having someone else making all the decisions. Especially if they’re being just a little bit rough. It’s, uh… it’s really hot.” Mint Choco blinked before smiling gently at his thoroughly embarrassed boyfriend.

“Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.”)

Mint Choco sucked hard on Sparkling’s neck, just barely scraping with his teeth. Each movement of his mouth elicited more noise, and he revelled in them. He wanted to memorize every noise that Sparkling made, to etch upon his mind the sight of his boyfriend, hair disheveled, eyes wide, squirming under his touch. He pulled away to take it all in. “Have I ever told you that you’re beautiful?”

“That’s pretty gay, babe.”

“If being in love with the most beautiful," he kissed Sparkling's collarbone-- "funny," his neck-- “talented," his cheek-- "and overall extraordinary man I've ever met makes me gay, then I’m the biggest home of sexual that’s ever lived.”

"Oh my god, you dork." Sparkling looked at him with such love, such pure unbridled adoration, that he couldn't stop himself from kissing him with all he had. It was sloppy, and ferocious, and passionate, and perfectly imperfect. There was all sorts of kissy stuff going on. Oh boy. He ran his tongue over Sparkling's own, ignoring the fact that it was kinda slimy because _by god_ he was in love, and being in love meant gross things become not gross, not gross things become lovable, and lovable things make your breath catch and your heart skip a beat.

Mint Choco let go of Sparkling's wrists to cup his face, and pressed their foreheads together. "I'm your dork, and I am so, so happy that I am." He kissed him again, shallow and sweet. "I love you."

Sparkling melted against him, that wonderful lovestruck look on his face again. "I imagined you saying those words so many times. This is _way_ better, mind you." He pressed his lips to Mint Choco's, just for a second. "I love you too."

They stood like that for a moment, before--

“So, are we gonna have sex?"

"Oh yeah definitely."

* * *

The sex was good. Really good. So good, in fact, that words could not describe it. (Therefore, words will not be used to describe it.)

It was later, (after the absolutely bomb sex,) when he was lying in bed with Sparkling curled against his side, snoring softly, that Mint Choco allowed himself to drift off to sleep, his mind full of thoughts of love and his soul light. For once, his dreams weren't quite as good as reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation for the Japanese:  
> CB: hey Sparkling  
> S: yeah?  
> CB: are you guys... uh...  
> S: shut up!  
> WC: sis?  
> CB: yeah?  
> WC: are those two... uh...  
> WC: oh right, you can speak Japanese huh. I forgot. sorry~.  
> S: don't forget
> 
> Alright notes.  
> 1) thank you all so much for supporting me in my gay endeavors!! I'm gonna miss writing this tbh and your kind words always make my day  
> 2) I'm sorry if this chapter is a little weak. I really just wanted to wrap it up but it sorta took on its own shape and I don't know why I let it go to makeouts. I can't write makeouts.  
> 3) uhh I had other stuff to say but I forgot bc I'm at my friends' theater performance right now and by all accounts I shouldn't be working on this in this environment  
> 4) thank you to my Improv Son Kyle for helping me with the makeouts, even if he didn't do much other than sitting in a discord call with me while I puzzled it out  
> 5) I've been a cookie run kinnie this whole time. good luck figuring out which one.  
> 6) please tell me if anything is formatted weird, once again I posted this from and wrote this on my phone  
> 7) whipped cream talks fancy and sophisticated but that motherfucker is knife cat and no one can convince me otherwise


End file.
